Thedford Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Thomas County · County seat · Population 208 (2020 census) · ZIP 69166 · Founded 1887 · Peak population 313 (1980)

About Thedford

Thedford is a village of 208 people (2020), the seat of Thomas County, at about 2,868 feet in the Middle Loup River valley where US 83 (North Platte–Valentine) crosses NE 2, the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, beside the BNSF main line. It has the county courthouse, the Thomas County Library and Historical Museum, Thedford Public Schools (which also serves Brownlee), two banks, two motels, a free city park campground, a nine-hole golf course a mile south on US 83, and tubing, tank and kayak trips on the Middle Loup. The Bessey Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forest is about 16 miles east. Thedford is on Central Time.

History

Thedford was laid out in 1887 when the Burlington built west up the Middle Loup valley, and it has been the county seat since the county was organized; the post office opened on November 13, 1887. The name probably came from Thedford, Ontario. By 1890 it had about 400 people, a $10,000 brick courthouse, the Thedford Bank, the Thedford House hotel and two newspapers. The Thedford Live Stock Association helped win the Kinkaid Act of 1904, which brought 640-acre homesteaders and pushed the county to its peak of 1,773 people in 1920. When the courthouse burned in 1920, Seneca tried to take the county seat, but voters chose to rebuild at Thedford, 514 to 362. That 1923 courthouse, listed on the National Register in 1990, was replaced in 2005–06. In May 1891 two young daughters of homesteaders Carl and Henrietta Haumann were lost in the hills north of town; Retta was found alive, but Tillie died after walking an estimated 75 miles. A History Nebraska marker and a life-size bronze on the courthouse square, dedicated in 2016, tell their story. Thedford incorporated in 1914 and reached its largest population, 313, in 1980.

Highways and trails through Thedford

Route	One way	Other way
US 83Crosses NE 2 east of town	North to Brownlee and Valentine	South to Stapleton and North Platte
NE 2Through town, the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway	East to Natick, Halsey and Dunning	West to Norway, Seneca and Mullen

Nearby towns

Natick	about 7 mi east-southeast	NE 2
Norway	about 8 mi west	NE 2
Seneca	about 14 mi west-northwest	NE 2
Halsey	about 17 mi east-southeast	NE 2
Brownlee	about 22 mi north	US 83
Mullen	about 25 mi west	NE 2
Dunning	about 26 mi east-southeast	NE 2
Stapleton	about 35 mi south	US 83
Tryon	about 36 mi southwest	US 83 and NE 92
Brewster	about 37 mi east	NE 2 and NE 91
North Platte	about 59 mi south	US 83
Valentine	about 62 mi north	US 83
Broken Bow	about 62 mi southeast	NE 2

Things to see

the Haumann Sisters marker and bronze on the courthouse square, Main and Walnut · the Thomas County Historical Museum, 609 Court St., free (summer Mon, Wed, Fri) · two Sandhills markers at the US 83/NE 2 rest area · Sandhill River Trips on the Middle Loup · the Thedford Golf Course, 1 mile south on US 83 · the Bessey Recreation Complex, about 16 miles east

Events in Thedford

Thomas County Fairgrounds
The Thomas County Fair is held annually in Thedford, Nebraska along Highway 83. This community fair serves the ranching families of Thomas County with 4-H livestock…

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Schools and health care

Schools: Thedford Public Schools: Thedford Elementary (PK–6), 407 Court St., (308) 645-2214, and Thedford High School (7–12), 304 Maple St., (308) 645-2230; activities co-op with Sandhills (Dunning) as the Sandhills/Thedford Knights

Health care: Mullen Rural Health Clinic about 25 mi west; nearest hospitals: North Platte and Broken Bow, about 60 mi

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Thomas County (thomascountyne.gov); NEGenWeb Thomas County; Nebraska Who's Who (1940) county sketch; 1890 Nebraska State Gazetteer; 1912 Rand McNally; Courthouses.co; National Register (Bessey Nursery; Thomas County Courthouse, 1990–2007); History Nebraska markers; USDA Forest Service and Recreation.gov (Bessey Ranger District); University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Nebraska Public Media; Nebraska Examiner; Farm Progress; Wildfire Today; Nebraska 4-H; VisitNebraska; Thedford and Sandhills public schools; SchoolDigger. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.